Understanding Uncle Charlie (Companion Piece 2)
by Meamit
Summary: Hugo and Charlie talk about kissing girls. *Conversation only, no description* My explanation for why Charlie stayed single. This is a thank you for the 60 followers and hundred plus reviews that Just Between Us has received.


"Uncle Charlie? Why don't you have any children?"

"Good question, little man. I suppose it's because I never got married."

"Did you not find a girl to love? Dad says that was one of the cleverest things he ever did."

"Ah, but I did find a girl to love, Hugo. Would you like to see a picture?"

"Yes please!"

"This is a photograph of all the dragon keepers who worked in the Carpathian Mountains when I started my job there. Can you find me?"

"That's you! It's easy because nobody else has red hair."

"Good point. Well, you see this girl here?"

"The one you have your arm around?"

"Oh you noticed that, did you? Yes, she was the first person I met when I moved to Romania."

"What's her name?"

"Jenna."

"She's very pretty, Uncle Charlie. Her hair is long."

"Her hair was so long that she could sit on it, or wrap it around her shoulders as a scarf, if she wanted to! In the picture, it looks plain brown, but when the light shone on her hair, you could see every shade of gold."

"Was she nice to you even though you were new?"

"She was, most of the time! She helped me find a room in the castle and showed me where everything was. The only time she forgot to be helpful was when I asked her to tell me about what my new boss was like. She told me that the Head Dragon Keeper had one eye and a wooden leg and a terrible temper that could only be stopped by eating chocolate. So of course, what did I do?"

"You brought chocolate!"

"Yes! I brought a bar of Honeydukes chocolate, like the ones I send you, to my first meeting with my scary boss and guess who was sitting behind the desk?"

"Was it her?!"

"Yes, she completely fooled me! But it didn't stop me from being friends with her, because like you said, she was very pretty."

"Did you want to…?"

"Want to what?"

"Did you want to – to _kiss_ her?!"

"Hugo Weasley! Is that what boys are supposed to do? Run around kissing girls?"

"Not every girl. Just the one that you like. Rosie says she won't kiss a boy until she gets married."

"Rosie is nine. She might change her mind when she meets a boy she likes."

"My mum and dad kiss when they think we aren't looking."

"Do they now?"

"Yes, mum kisses dad a lot if he makes dinner. Dad kisses mum when he thinks she might get angry, to make her stop."

"Right, well! Er, let's keep going, shall we? Jenna was in charge of the whole dragon reserve and she did a very good job. It took me a long time to convince her to stop working so hard and go for dinner with me instead."

"Was it going to be a date?"

"How do you know about dating?"

"Auntie Ginny always tells mum to go on a date with dad!"

"Don't they go on dates?"

"Not really. Dad says families do things together, so Rosie and I always get to go."

"Your dad is a very good man, do you know that?"

"He is the best dad in the world! … Uncle Charlie?"

"Yes?"

"Did Jenna say no to your date?"

"Do you think anyone could resist my charm for long, Hugo? Don't worry, she said yes and I planned a wonderful date full of music and flowers and champagne."

"Did she like it?"

"Well, the music was drowned out by a thunderstorm, the flowers were eaten by a naughty Welsh Green and the other dragon keepers found the champagne and drank it before I could offer Jenna some, so it didn't really go the way I planned."

"Oh no!"

"Exactly! But luckily for me, Jenna thought the whole thing was very funny. We still ate the dinner that I made and she must have liked it as much as your mum likes your dad's cooking, because she kissed me goodnight before she left."

"She liked you then."

"Yes, that's what I hoped too. For five years, we dated and I loved every minute of it."

"Why did you stop? Did she go away?"

"One day, when we were searching some caves for dragons that had been sighted, one of the newest keepers went off down a tunnel by himself. Nobody was supposed to do that, so Jenna went after him, to bring him back. Eventually, she found him in a very dangerous part of the cave and all of a sudden, the roof started to collapse. She pushed him back towards the safer tunnel but she didn't have time to use her wand… the stones that fell hit her head and she – she was hurt very seriously."

"Uncle Charlie? Did she die?"

"Yes, Hugo. She died later that night and I was upset for a long time. I was angry that she died because someone else had been careless."

"Is that why you never got married?"

"That's why."

"And do you never want to get married from now on?"

"I don't think I will ever meet someone I want to marry more than I wanted to marry Jenna."

"But then you won't have any children of your own to play with."

"I know. And I would have really liked to have a little boy like you."

"I would have been friends with him."

"Do you think so?"

"Yes! I know what to do, Uncle Charlie. I am going to ask my dad tonight and maybe he will say yes."

"Say yes to what?"

"Maybe he will share me with you!"

"He already has, little man. You're my godson and my most favourite person."

"You are my most favourite uncle… but don't tell my other uncles that, okay?"

"Alright, I promise."

"Does this mean I can visit Romania with you one day?"

"If you'd like to. I'll even introduce you to all the dragons."

"That would be brilliant!"

"We'd have to get you some special dragon keeper boots, would that be okay with you?"

"I've always wanted dragon keeper boots! Would they be like yours?"

"Exactly like mine."

"Uncle Charlie…? Is Jenna in Heaven with Uncle Fred now? And Teddy's mum and dad?"

"I hope she is. I hope they're keeping each other company."

"I think you would have been a good dad. It's not fair."

"No, it's not fair at all, is it?"

"I wish I could have met Jenna. I think I would have liked her."

"And she would have loved you, Hugo! Nobody could help loving you!"

"Argh! Uncle Charlie! Put me down!"

"I thought you wanted to fly like a dragon?"

"But I'm upside down!"

"You think this is bad? Wait until we go for a whirl with Norberta!"

"Who's Norberta?"

"Tell you what, ask your dad that exact question when we get back to the Burrow, will you? And make sure everyone is listening when you do!"

"Okay! Will it make my mum mad?"

"Your mum _and_ your grandma, if we're lucky!"


End file.
